Dead Heart
Nick Parsons
Australia 1997
106 min
This gripping Australian drama contains similar themes as a western as it chronicles the unending struggle between native aborigines and ever-encroaching Europeans.
Set in the arid red-rock desert west of Alice Springs, a region called Dead Heart by the whites and hailed as a sacred place by the aborigines, the story centers on the travails of Ray Lorkin the local lawman who sees that Australian laws are obeyed in the tiny village of Wala Wala where he is one of only seven whites.
The story itself unfolds via flashback as told by the Aboriginal village elder Poppy. The trouble begins in the town jail when an Aboriginal prisoner is discovered dead. [...] More trouble brews when Aborigine bootlegger Ray Tony takes the schoolteacher's bored wife Kay out to a particularly sacred area for an illicit tryst. Later, Kate finds Tony dead. Strangely, his body shows no signs of violence. Despite the lacking evidence, Lorkin suspects a murder and demands justice. His investigation leads him down a dangerous, winding path that culminates in a tense and surprising manner. (edited from Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide)
| Cast |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release dates | November 28th, 1997 - Australia | ||
| Video/DVD Release Date |
varies in sources, between July 28th, 1998 and June 12th, 2001 DVD release dates March 13th, 2001 and April 7th, 2005 | ||
| Awards | not available | ||
| Rating | R (Australia: MA) | ||
| Language level | not available | ||
| Distributor | Fox Lorber Home Video, Fox Lorber Associates | ||
| Soundtrack | Stephen Rae | ||
| Genre | Drama | ||
| Notes |
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Where to from here?
- Read about Aboriginal people and the law
- Facts about Mandatory sentencing
- The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
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